What the article is about:
- The article talks about trends in production of rice according the Agriculture ministry’s latest report.
Relevance:
- GS3: Cropping patterns
Analysis:
- The acreage deficit in rice for the current kharif cropping season over last year has come down to 3.1 million hectares.
Why it’s still a cause of concern:
- Four rice producing states i.e. UP, bihar, jharkhand, and west bengal have delayed these operations, as farmers in these states missed the sowing window.
- Farmers in punjab and haryana, have been reporting a disease resulting in stunting on paddy.
- The “dwarfing disease” can potentially impact production in the most productive rice- growing belt.
- The one consolation is that rice stocks on government godowns are marginally below the record 44.5mt for thus date last year.
What should be done:
- Government should not resort to any knee- jerk measures such as export bans on restrictions like it did in wheat and sugar.
- There is need to closely monitor crop status, production and stocks, not to throw farmers or the trade into a tizzy.
